Branden Oliver's Updated 2014 Fantasy Outlook Heading into Week 6

When Week 6 of the NFL season rolls around, fantasy football owners are usually bereft of suitable running back options on the waiver wire. Then along comes Branden Oliver.

The rookie ran for 114 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries for the San Diego Chargers in a 31-0 win over the New York Jets. He also caught four passes for 68 yards and a touchdown.

The Chargers posted an Instagram graphic providing a brief glimpse of Oliver's bio and his Week 5 performance.

Of course, plenty of fans were immediately considering Oliver's fantasy prospects going forward. According to NFL.com, he's owned in 0.6 percent of fantasy leagues on the site. A number of fantasy studs have disappointed this season, so grabbing a stable option this late into the season would be a nice bonus.

Oliver's performance was impressive for two reasons.

First, it came against the Jets, who, despite looking awful on Sunday, are surrendering an average of 83 rushing yards a game, sixth in the league. Football Outsiders ranks New York 11th in defensive DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average) against the run.

"We came in with the mentality to run the ball, even though they had the No. 1 defense," Oliver said after the game, per ESPN.com's Eric D. Williams. "So whenever you get the opportunity to run the ball, the offensive line was hungry, and we just had to do what we had to do."

The other impressive aspect of Oliver's game was that he gained 84 yards before contact, according to ESPN Stats & Information, via Williams. That figure is both a testament to his elusiveness and the holes opened up for him by the Chargers offensive line.

ESPN.com's Tristan H. Cockcroft analyzed how Oliver might stack up with similar backup running backs who emerged to have huge fantasy days. Derrick Blaylock, who replaced Priest Holmes for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2004, set the gold standard with 90 rushing yards and four touchdowns against the Atlanta Falcons.

Blaylock had one more big game, but he became a fantasy afterthought following that major outburst.

Cockcroft believes that even if Oliver is a one or two-week wonder, he still has plenty of utility in the short term:

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And, even if Oliver's performance ultimately winds up Blaylock-esque, here's a tidbit to at least support his one-week-pickup candidacy: His performance came against a New York Jets defense that had allowed the fewest fantasy points per game to opposing running backs (6.0), including limiting Eddie Lacy to five (Week 2), Matt Forte to seven (Week 3) and Reggie Bush and Joique Bell to eight combined (Week 4). If Oliver earns a Week 6 start, he'll be going up against a Raiders team that has afforded 21.3 fantasy points per game to opposing running backs, including 16 to Chris Ivory and 14 to Chris Johnson (Week 1), 20 to Foster (Week 2) and 16 to Lamar Miller (Week 4).

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Almost all of Oliver's long-term value is tied to his role in the offense once Donald Brown and Ryan Mathews are healthy again. With another strong week, there's no reason Oliver shouldn't retain the starting role, even after Brown and Mathews return.

The 23-year-old is already the team's leading rusher in 2014. ESPN's Andrew Brandt was one of many making the comparisons to former Chargers running back Darren Sproles:

Robert Klemko of The MMQB was impressed with the wide range of Oliver's skills:

Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune also praised Oliver for his work around the goal line, which he felt other Chargers running backs have struggled with in past years:

Here's a look at San Diego's next five opponents and where they rank in terms of run defense, courtesy of ESPN.com and Football Outsiders.

Week	Opponent	Rush Yds./Game	Rush Yds./Carry	DVOA
6	Oakland Raiders	158.3 (31st)	4.3 (17th)	-13.1% (15th)
7	Kansas City Chiefs	127.4 (22nd)	4.8 (26th)	-5.1% (19th)
8	Denver Broncos	88.3 (7th)	3.5 (7th)	-22.6% (7th)
9	Miami Dolphins	107.3 (13th)	3.8 (9th)	-22.9% (6th)
11	Oakland Raiders	158.3 (31st)	4.3 (17th)	-13.1% (15th)

No matter what happens down the line, you should snap up Oliver as quickly as you can. Even if Brown or Mathews takes back the starting job, you get the feeling that Oliver's one step away from becoming the feature back again.

You're unlikely to find a better running back off the waiver wire the rest of the season.